1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to automatic inflators for inflating articles such as life rafts, life vests, and the like. More particularly, this invention relates to automatic inflators having indicators that indicate the operating condition of the inflator.
2. Description of the Background Art
Presently, there exists many types of inflators designed to inflate inflatable articles such as personal floatation devices (life vests, rings and horseshoes), life rafts, buoys and emergency signaling equipment. Inflators typically comprise a body for receiving the neck of a cylinder of compressed gas such as carbon dioxide. A reciprocating piercing pin is disposed within the body of the inflator for piercing frangible seal of the cylinder whereupon the compressed gas therein flows into an exhaust manifold of the inflator and then into the article to be inflated. Typically, a manually movable firing lever is operatively connected to the piercing pin such that the piercing pin pierces the frangible seal of the cylinder upon jerking of a ball lanyard. U.S. Pat. No. 3,809,288, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, illustrates one particular embodiment of a manual inflator.
While manual inflators work suitably well, it was quickly learned that in an emergency situation, the person needing the assistance of the inflatable device, such as a downed aviator, injured person, or man overboard, would fail or be unable to manually activate the inflator. Accordingly, it was realized that a means should be provided for automatically activating the inflator in such an emergency situation.
In response to this realized inadequacy of the prior art manual inflators, water-activated automatic inflators were developed which, when submerged in water, would automatically actuate the piercing pin of the inflator thereby inflating the inflatable device. Typical water-activated automatic inflators comprise a water-activated actuator including a water destructible or dissolvable xe2x80x9cbobbinxe2x80x9d that holds-back a spring-loaded actuator pin in a cocked position in alignment with the piercing pin. Upon submersion in water, the dissolvable xe2x80x9cpillxe2x80x9d of the bobbin dissolves whereupon the bobbin releases the cocked actuator pin to strike the piercing pin, either directly or indirectly via an intermediate transfer pin. Upon striking the piercing pin, the pin fractures the seal of the cylinder whereupon the gas flows through the exhaust manifold and into the inflatable device to inflate the same. Representative automatic actuators for inflators are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,059,814; 3,091,782; 3,426,942; 3,579,964; 3,702,014; 3,757,371; 3,910,457; 3,997,079; 4,233,805; 4,267,944; 4,260,075; 4,382,231; 4,436,159; 4,513,248; 4,627,823; and 5,076,468, the disclosures of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
The above-referenced automatic inflators have been successfully commercialized in many industries. In the marine industry, for example, automatic inflators are commonly incorporated into personal floatation devices, life rafts, buoys, emergency signaling equipment, and the like. Because of the nature of such devices, the reliability of the automatic inflator to work properly during exigent circumstances, is paramount. Unfortunately, devices intended to be used during emergency situations are often stored away, such as in a locker, hold, or well of a boat, and ignored for inordinate periods of time. Further, when eventually removed from storage for maintenance, such emergency devices are commonly inspected and serviced only by yachtsmen and boaters who lack any specialized training or expertise in servicing automatic inflators. Consequently, automatic inflators may be improperly serviced by inadvertently installing a spent gas cylinder or bobbin. Obviously, an automatic inflator that has been improperly serviced, will fail to properly operate during an emergency situation.
Various safety indicators have been developed for indicating the operating condition of automatic inflators and gas cylinders used in connection therewith. For example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,358, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, there exists an indicator system that interconnects between the gas cylinder and the inflator. The one-time, disposable indicator system is responsive to the high pressure release of gas from the cylinder during a discharge and changes from a color xe2x80x9cgreenxe2x80x9d signifying the cylinder being charged to a color xe2x80x9credxe2x80x9d signifying that the cylinder has been discharged.
As taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,986, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, status indicators have also been incorporated within automatic actuators for indicating when the automatic actuator is in its xe2x80x9ccockedxe2x80x9d position armed and ready for firing and when the automatic actuator has been fired. The status indicator incorporated into the automatic inflator as taught by this patent, indicates the existence of or the ready-condition or status of the bobbin within the automatic inflator. However, it is incapable of indicating the charged condition of the gas cylinder.
It should be appreciated that the gas cylinder indicator of U.S. Pat. No. 5,775,358 and the automatic actuator status indicator of U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,986 may be used together with the former indicating the spent condition of the gas cylinder and the latter indicating the spent condition of the bobbin of the automatic actuator. However, it should also be appreciated that the gas cylinder indicator may be indicating xe2x80x9cgreenxe2x80x9d representing a fully charged gas cylinder whereas the automatic inflator indicator may be indicating xe2x80x9credxe2x80x9d representative of a spent bobbin. Conversely, the gas cylinder indicator may be indicating xe2x80x9credxe2x80x9d and the automatic inflator indicator may be indicating xe2x80x9cgreenxe2x80x9d. Of course, the automatic inflator indicator could be displaying xe2x80x9cgreenxe2x80x9d even when the gas cylinder is missing entirely. In such scenarios, it is possible for the yachtsman or boater to visualize only the xe2x80x9cgreenxe2x80x9d indication and carelessly fail to recognize the xe2x80x9credxe2x80x9d indication. In such an event, the yachtsman or boater would mistakenly believe that the automatic inflator is in full operating condition.
In recognition of the possible confusion of separate status indicators, the United States Coast Guard has mandated that all 1F automatic inflators include a xe2x80x9csingle-pointxe2x80x9d status indicator that indicates the overall operating condition of the automatic inflator inclusive of the gas cylinder.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvement which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art programs and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the automatic inflator art.
Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic inflator for inflating an inflatable article including a gas cylinder indicator for indicating the proper installation of a gas cylinder to the automatic inflator.
Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic inflator for inflating an inflatable article including a gas cylinder indicator that indicates the charged condition of the gas cylinder connected to the automatic inflator.
Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic inflator for inflating an inflatable article including a bobbin indicator that indicates when an operable bobbin has been properly installed within the automatic inflator.
Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic inflator for inflating an inflatable article including a fracturable cylinder adapter connected to the neck of the gas cylinder that is fractured upon firing of the automatic inflator whereupon the then spent cylinder cannot be subsequently reinstalled to the automatic inflator.
Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic inflator for inflating an inflatable article including a cap indicator housing that indicates whether the cap of the automatic inflator has been fully installed onto the body of the automatic inflator.
The foregoing has outlined some of the pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to me merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many of the beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
For the purposes of summarizing this invention, the invention comprises an automatic inflator having a status indicator that indicates whether a fully-charged, unspent gas cylinder has been installed to the automatic inflator, whether a fully-operable bobbin has been properly installed within the automatic inflator and whether the threaded cap of the automatic inflator has been fully installed. The status indicator comprises a xe2x80x9csingle pointxe2x80x9d indicator having an indicator window that displays the color xe2x80x9cgreenxe2x80x9d when the automatic inflator is fully operational automatically or the color xe2x80x9credxe2x80x9d when the automatic inflator is at least partially inoperable automatically due to the removal of the gas cylinder, due to at least partial removal of the threaded cap, or due to the firing of the inflator resulting in a spent bobbin or gas cylinder.
The invention further comprises an automatic inflator having an elongated threaded cap that threadably engages an elongated tubular portion of the actuator body to achieve a tube-in-tube arrangement that minimizes inadvertent actuation of the automatic actuator when exposed to wet conditions such as water splashes.
Finally, the invention further comprises an improved inflator exhaust manifold for connecting the automatic inflator to the article to be inflated.
More particularly, in its preferred embodiment, the gas cylinder status indicator comprises a cylinder adapter that is threaded onto the threaded neck of the gas cylinder and, preferably, permanently secured in place by means of an adhesive. The cylinder adapter comprises a tubular configuration having bayonet lugs about its outer periphery and a fracturable collar about its inner end. The gas cylinder status indicator further comprises bayonet slots formed in the boss of the body of the automatic actuator for removable coupling of the cylinder adapter to the inflator body through a conventional push, twist and lock bayonet connection.
The cylinder status indicator further comprises a spring-loaded reciprocating member mounted in axial alignment with the boss of the inflator body. The reciprocating member includes upstanding arms that engage through corresponding holes in the longitudinal wall of the boss of the inflator body. The upstanding arms of the member are forcibly retracted within the boss against the force of the spring by a fracturable collar of the cylinder adapter as the gas cylinder is bayonet-installed into the boss. Upon firing of the gas cylinder, the upstanding arms of the member are forced outwardly from the boss to forcibly fracture the collar of the cylinder adapter. To assure that a spent gas cylinder (i.e., a gas cylinder with a fractured collar) is not re-installed, the reciprocating member includes an upstanding blocking arm that reciprocates within another hole in the longitudinal wall of the boss to move into a blocking position within the bayonet slot when the reciprocating member is forced forwardly upon firing (i.e., not retracted into the inflator body by the collar of the cylinder adapter).
The reciprocating member additionally includes a sidewise projecting shutter, preferably colored xe2x80x9credxe2x80x9d, that moves from an obscured position across the indicator window formed in the body as the reciprocating member is forced forwardly upon firing. It is noted that the upstanding arms and the upstanding blocking arm are also preferably colored xe2x80x9credxe2x80x9d (along with the red-colored shutter) to provide a visual indication when the upstanding arms are in their extended position from the boss and when the blocking arm is blocking the bayonet slot.
The bobbin indicator comprises an elongated headed plug positioned in the inflator body in alignment with the spring-loaded actuator pin that is held-back in a cocked position by an operable bobbin. The head of the bobbin indicator is preferably colored xe2x80x9cgreenxe2x80x9d and the length of the bobbin indicator plug is such that when the spring-loaded actuator pin is being held-back into its cocked position by an operable bobbin, the green head of the bobbin indicator plug is in alignment with the indicator window, thereby representing an operable firing position for the bobbin. Conversely, upon firing of the inflator, the spring-loaded actuator pin is released by the bobbin and forcibly engages the bobbin indicator plug to force it axially within the body to a position where the green head thereof is no longer in view within the indicator window. Simultaneously, through the use of a pivotal transfer lever, the reciprocating member of the reciprocating member of the cylinder indicator is forced outwardly whereupon its red shutter moves into the indicator window to indicate an inoperable inflator condition.
The cap indicator for indicating when the threaded cap has been fully threaded onto the inflator body, comprises a tabbed axial sleeve concentrically positioned about the green bobbin indicator. The tabs of the cap axial sleeve extend through corresponding holes formed in the lowermost portion of the threaded tubular portion of the body. As the threaded cap is fully threaded onto the threaded tubular portion of the body to the point of bottoming-out, the protruding tabs are forced longitudinally inwardly. As the protruding tabs are forced inwardly, a window formed in the sleeve is moved into alignment with the indicator window of the valve body. When aligned, the green head of the bobbin indicator plug can be viewed through the indicator window and through the aligned window of the cap indicator whereas when the cap is at least partially unthreaded, the window of the sleeve is no longer in alignment and a side wall, preferably colored xe2x80x9credxe2x80x9d, of the sleeve appears in the indicator window, thereby indicating an inoperable inflator (i.e., the cap is not fully installed).
It should be appreciated that the red indicator shutter of the reciprocating member of the gas cylinder indicator, the red colored side and the window of the sleeve of the cap indicator, and the green head of the plug of the bobbin indicator function in an overlapping layered but independent manner with respect to each other to be viewable from the single indicator window. Specifically, the indicator states are displayed as follows.
1. If the gas cylinder is missing or if a discharged gas cylinder is installed, the red indicator shutter of the reciprocating member of the gas cylinder indicator, being the topmost layer relative to the indicator window, indicates an inoperable condition of the inflator even if the bobbin indicator and cap indicator would otherwise indicate an operable and a fully engaged cap;
2. Even when the red indicator shutter of the reciprocating member of the gas cylinder is moved out from view of the indicator window (i.e., a charged gas cylinder is installed), the red colored side of the sleeve of the cap indicator appears in view in the indicator window indicating an inoperable condition if the cap is not fully threaded into position;
3. If the red indicator shutter of the reciprocating member of the gas cylinder is moved out from view of the indicator window (i.e., a charged gas cylinder is installed), if the cap is fully threaded into position and if an operable bobbin is installed to hold-back the actuator pin in a cocked position, the window of the sleeve of the cap indicator is in alignment with the indicator window allowing visualization of the green head of the bobbin indicator plug; and
4. Upon firing of the inflator, the actuator pin forces the bobbin indicator pin inwardly to pivot (i.e., seesaw) the transfer lever which then forces the reciprocating member and its arms forwardly whereupon the red indicator shutter into view in the indicator window to indicate an inoperable condition of the inflator.
Thus, it should be appreciated that in all operating states of the inflator, the indicator window presents a single-point status indication of the inflator.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the more pertinent and important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description of the invention that follows may be better understood so that the present contribution to the art can be more fully appreciated. Additional features of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be greatly appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and the specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other methods for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent methods do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. dr
For a more succinct understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be directed to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the automatic inflator of the invention;
FIGS. 2 and 3 are side and end views, respectively, of the pierce pin shaft preferably employed in the automatic inflator of the invention;
FIGS. 4 and 5 are side and end views, respectively, of the pierce pin preferably employed in the automatic inflator of the invention;
FIGS. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are side, end views, respectively, and a diametrical cross-sectional view of the cylinder adaptor of the cylinder indicator preferably employed in the automatic inflator of the invention;
FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 are side views and an end view, respectively, of the reciprocating member of the cylinder indicator preferably employed in the automatic inflator of the invention;
FIGS. 13, 14, and 15 are end, side and diametrical cross-sectional views, respectively, of the cylinder adaptor of the threaded cap preferably employed in the automatic inflator of the invention;
FIGS. 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 are side views, a diametrical cross-sectional view and an end view, respectively, of the sleeve of the cap indicator preferably employed in the automatic inflator of the invention;
FIGS. 21 and 22 are side and end views, respectively, of the actuator pin of the water-activated actuator assembly preferably employed in the automatic inflator of the invention;
FIG. 23 is a diametrical cross-sectional view of a bobbin of the water-activated actuator assembly preferably employed in the automatic inflator of the invention;
FIGS. 24, 25 and 26 are end, side and diametrical cross-sectional views, respectively, of the plug of the bobbin indicator preferably employed in the automatic inflator of the invention;
FIGS. 27 and 28 are side and end views, respectively, of the transfer lever preferably employed in the automatic inflator of the invention;
FIGS. 29, 30 and 31 are side and end views, respectively, of the exhaust manifold preferably employed in the automatic inflator of the invention;
FIGS. 32, 33 and 34 are cross-sectional views of the automatic inflator of the invention in a fully armed condition;
FIGS. 35, 36 and 37 are cross-sectional views of the automatic inflator of the invention in a fired, inoperable condition;
FIGS. 38 and 39 are cross-sectional views of the automatic inflator of the invention in a cap-off, inoperable condition;
FIGS. 40, 41, 41A, and 42 are cross-sectional views of the automatic inflator of the invention in a fired, cylinder-off, inoperable condition;